Weapon component carrier



Aug. 9, 1960 v. s. FocrrE, JR

WEAPON COMPONENT CARRIER Filed Aug. 5, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(Q l/ 5700/) Foo/e, Jr BY 5 mm M ATTORNEYS Aug. 9, 1960 v. s. FOOTE, JR

I WEAPON COMPONENT CARRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 5. 1959 INVENTOR V. Sfuon Foo/e, J1.

ATTORNEYS 2,948,562 WEAPON COMPONENT CARRIER Vernon S. FOOte, In, Marblehead, Mass., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretar-y of the Navy Filed Aug. 5, 1959, Ser. No. 831,921

, Claims. (Cl. 294-67) nited. States Patenti O lice able chuckthat willpermit rotation of the missile com- .ponents on the carrier and thus facilitate mating and separation of said components during assembly operatrons.

, A further object of the invention is to provide a weapon component carrier embodying a brake mechanism for the rotatable chuck, so that said chuck, with a component thereon, may be secured against undesired rotation.

And as a further object, theinvention provides-a handling tool for the purpose'above set forth that will be simple and robust in construction and eflicient in operafiOD'. I

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated asthe same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation illustrating the improved weapon .component carrier, the chuck and associated latch and brake mechanisms being shown in section;

Fig.2 is a front elevation, particularly showing the chuck and latch structure;

"Fig. 3 isa side elevation, on a reduced scale,'fshowing the carrier in a position for removing connected missile components from a shipping container, the connection to the carrier being above the center of gravity of said connected components;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation on the same scale as Fig. 3, showing the carrier supporting the connected components during attachment of one of them to a third missile component; and

Fig. 5 is an elevation similar to Fig. 4 but showing the carrier supporting one of the components, the connection to the carrier having been moved to a position above the center of gravity of said single component.

Referring to the drawings in more detail, the numeral 10 indicates the supporting beam of the weapon component carrier. The beam 10 is of tubular hardened steel and is of substantially U-shape in side elevation, having a relatively long upper leg 11 and a relatively short lower leg 12. Mounted on the leg @11 in spaced relation to each other are collars 13 and 14, each having a lifting eye 15 secured thereto. The collars are so positioned along the upper leg 11 that the collar 13 will be located above the center of gravity of a two unit weapon component and the collar 14 will be located above the center of Patented Aug; 9, 1960 2 a gravity of a single unit component, as will be explained in more detail hereinafter.

A chuck, shown generally at 16 is employed for rotatably connecting the weapon component to the supporting beam. 10 of the carrier. The chuck 16 is rotatably mounted on the short lower leg 12 of the beam by a sleeve 17 which is secured to said leg by a pin 18, and by bearings 19 and 20. As best seen in Fig. 1, the sleeve 17 is reduced in thickness near its' ends to receive the bearings. Snap rings 21and 22,'carried in grooves in the inner wall of the chuck, serve to prevent outward displacement of the bearings, inward displacement of said bearings being prevented by shoulders-23, defined by the reduced end portions of the sleeve 17.

The chuck 16 includes a hollow cylindrical body 24 having a reduced-forward end 25 and, near its rear end, .an annular stop ring 26. At its rear end, the body is again reduced in thickness to define a brake dnim 27. Extending radially from the body 24 near the brake drum 27 is a latch support 28 which is bored at its upper end to receive a plunger 29 that is urged outwardly by a spring 30. Latch guides 31 and 32 are mounted at the outer end of the support 28 perpendicularly thereto and are flared, or spread, toward their outer ends. A latch member 33 has its rear end pivoted between the rear ends of the guides 31 and 32 by a pivot pin 34; said latch member having its central portion overlying the plunger 29. Bolts 35 secure the guides 31 and 32, with the latch member 33 thereon, to the support 28. Near its rear end and opposite the pivot pin 34 the'latch'member 33 is formed with a recess to receive a spring 36 and a plunger 37, the outer end of said plunger being provided withv a pin 38 that is releasably connected to the guides 31 .-and 32; The plunger '37 maintains the latch 33 in a locked condition with the end of the latch in locking engagement with the conventional clip or projections canied on the aft portion of the component,"asbest shown on Fig. 1. Upon movement of the plunger 37 toward lever 44 and against the tension of spring 36 the pin 38 is moved out of engagement with notchm provided in guides 31 and 32, whereupon the latch 33 is moved out of locking 'engagem'entwith a projection or clip on the aft-most end of the connected components by the spring actuated. plunger 29; V p From the above description it will-be understoodfthat the chuck 16 is rotatable about the relatively short leg 12 on the bearings 19 and 20. For locking the chuck in "any desired position with respect to the-' le'g 12', Ltli' brake mechanism now. to be described isemployedi- Th brake mechanism includes a base 39 that is mounted on the leg 12 near the inner end of the body 24, said base having a yoke 40 at its outer end and a recess 41 near its forward end. Pivotally mounted in the yoke is a brake element 42 which carries a brake shoe 43 at its forward end. A brake lever 44 is mounted between the legs of the yoke 40 by a pin 45, and has a cam surface 46 engageable with the outer surface of the brake element 42.

A ball-type handle 47 is screwed on the free end of the lever 44. As best seen in Fig. l, the shoe 43 is engageable with the drum 27 when the lever is swung rearwardly for engaging the cam surface 46 with the element 42. A spring 48 in the recess 41 urges the element away from the yoke and the shoe out of engagement with the dmm when the lever 44 is in its outermost position. A pin 49 effects the pivotal connection of the element 42 with the yoke 40.

In use, the basic operation performed with the weapon component carrier is the removal of connected fore and aft missile components from a shipping container 50 and the connection of said sections with a third component to form a major missile section. As shown in Fig. 3, with the container open, the chuck 16 is mated and locked to the aft end of the aft-most of the connected eye on the collar 13 to that on the collar 14 while the full weight of the connected components is cantilevered from the said third component 51. The connection between the two originally connected components is then broken and, as shown in Fig. 5, the aft-most of said sections is mated and secured to the aft end of said third component. The chuck 16 may then be unlocked and the carrier removed, leaving the assembled components ready for subsequent operations.

As will be clear from a scrutiny of Fig. l, the latch guides 31 and 32 and the latch member 33 engage suitable clips or projections on the aft-most of the connected components for efiectively latching the chuck 16 to said components. It will also be understood from the foregoing description that the brake mechanism lever 44 provides a convenient means for rotating the components for effecting mating connections, and that said mechanism may be utilized for locking said components in desired axial positions.

Obviously many modifications are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. A weapon component carrier including a beam, a chuck rotatably mounted on the beam for engagement with a pair of connected missile components, spaced collars on the beam, a lifting eye on each of the collars, one of said collars being positioned above the center of gravity of both of said connected missile components and the other of said collars being positioned above the center of gravity of one of said components, latch means pivotally mounted on the chuck for releasably locking one of the connected missile components to the chuck, and means slidably mounted on the latch means in engagement with said chuck for maintaining the latch means in a. releasably locked condition.

2. A weapon component carrier including a U-shape beam having relatively long and relatively short legs, a chuck rotatably mounted on the relatively short leg for engagement with one of a pair of missile components, support means on the relatively long leg, latch means pivotally mounted on the chuck for releasably locking said component to the chuck, as'prin'g urged plunger slidably mounted on the latch means in engagement with said chuck for maintaining the latch means in a releasably locked condition, said chuck being rotatable on said leg, and brake means on said leg and engageable with the chuck for securing the chuck and missile components in a desired axial position.

3. A weapon component carrier including a beam having a relatively long leg and a relatively short leg, a chuck, means rotatably mounting the'chuck on the relatively short leg, said chuck having a body formed with'a brake drum, said chuck being engageable with one of a pair of connected missile components, spaced collars on the relatively long leg of the beam, a lifting eye on each of the collars, one of the collars being positioned above the center of gravity of both of the connected components and the other of said collars being positioned above the center of gravity of one of said components, latch means pivotally mounted on the body for releasably locking the component to the body, means slidably mounted in said latch means in engagement with said body and the latch means for maintaining the latch means releasably locked to the component and movable from an initial position to a release position, a spring urged plunger in said body in engagement with said latch means for urging the latch means out of locking engagement with said componentwhen said slidable means is moved from an initial position to the release position, and brake means on the relatively short leg and including a shoe engageable with the brake drum;

4. A weapon component carrier as recited in claim 3, wherein the latch means includes a latch support on the body of the chuck, latch guides on the support,- and provided with notches for receiving said slidable means when the slidable means is in said initial position, and a pin for pivotally mounting the latch means between the guides. I

5. A weapon component carrier as recited in claim 3, wherein the brake mechanism includes a base on the relatively short leg and having 'a yoke, a brake element pivoted in the yoke and mounting said shoe, and a brake lever pivotally mounted on the yoke and having a cam surface engageable with the brake element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,591,248 Tracy July 6, 1926 2,165,921 Duda July 11, 1939' 2,267,352 Hepburn Dec 23, 1941 2,348,309 Rohr May 9, 1.944 2,882,086 Steinback Apr. 14, 1959 2,903,293 Palmer Sept. 8, 1959 

